


Of Dreams

by AlleiraDayne



Series: Mass Effect (Amallia Shepard) [2]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Mass Effect 3, Original Character(s), Perfect Ending, Spacer (Mass Effect), Surviving the Reapers, War Hero (Mass Effect)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-10
Updated: 2017-01-10
Packaged: 2018-09-16 13:24:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9273722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlleiraDayne/pseuds/AlleiraDayne
Summary: Kaidan Alenko is shocked to find Amallia Shepard's body amongst the rubble on the Citadel. And she's alive.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I recently wrapped up Amallia Shepard's playthrough, completing with an EMS of 4200. So I got that extra scene at the end where Shepard take's a breath, and this is my head canon of what occurs following that scene.

“Sir!”

Kaidan turned to find a lieutenant digging through a pile of rubble with no regard for his bloody hands. “Sir, you better come see this!”

He hurried over, hoping against hope that another survivor had been found, one more person they could cross off their far too long list of the missing.

And then he saw it. A shock of purple hair, snarled and caked with blood, hung limp over an uncovered rock. He dropped the data pad, sprinting the last few meters to the lieutenant, collapsing to his knees at the edge of a shallow hole.

There, cradled by the debris from the blast, lay Amallia just out of reach. Nothing but shallow breaths showed any sign of life, but it was enough. _More_ than enough.

“Shepard!”

The scream rent from his throat, and she startled, some part of her consciousness still there, still lingering against all odds. With the lieutenant, they tore away the rocks and debris they could lift until pieces of concrete too heavy remained.

“Hold on, Shepard!”

The fatigue of forty-eight hours without sleep slammed into Kaidan the second he tapped into his biotics. Damn L2s. It took every ounce of his remaining strength to gather his power and push it away, streaming towards the near lifeless body below.

A tall presence hovered to his left, someone he knew, should have known, but in the throes of biotic overuse and exhaustion, Kaidan blanked. More warmth crowded near him, people shouting for help, for medics and water, voices he recognized but could not place in the moment.

Amallia’s body rose from the void, encased in a blue shimmer of raw biotic power. With his stores depleted, Kaidan shifted her a few feet away where medical staff rushed in with a gurney.

“Is that ... is that Shepard?!”

“Holy shit, it’s Commander Shepard!”

“No way, _that’s Shepard!_ ”

The voices swam through his mind, filtered through too many hours of fighting, of terror, of sorrow. He wept with disregard for those around him, unable to maintain his hold on his powers any longer. Kaidan collapsed to the ground when Amallia was safe on the gurney, falling flat on his face as consciousness fled and darkness consumed him.

* * *

 

Warmth enveloped him like a cocoon, wrapped in smooth sheets and a soft bed. The steady beep of a heart monitor penetrated his deep sleep, prodding at the edge of his mind until it drew him up to the surface.

Bleary eyes blinked away the fog of confusion, the familiar ceiling of Huerta Memorial Hospital hanging overhead. Bright sunlight from the window sparked a shock of pain behind his eyes, and he squinted, rearing back as he shaded himself with a bandaged hand. When had that happened? Both hands were wrapped in gauze, but for the life of him he couldn’t remember ...

Beyond his raised hands lay another bed, occupied by a body covered in bandages, but the streak of purple hair sticking out of the wrapped gauze was unmistakable. Her heart monitor beeped a steady pulse, strong and in time with his. The memory of finding Shepard buried in a pile of concrete slammed to the forefront of his mind, and Kaidan scrambled out of bed, tearing the cables and wires from his body.

When his heart monitor stopped, hers continued, creeping skyward as he neared the bed. With alarming clarity, her eyes popped open, and Kaidan froze. A brief second lingered as her fierce blue eyes scanned the room, then landed on him, pupils blowing wide as she stared. Blood stained lips spread, smiling a brief smile as she lifted a hand, weak fingers grasping for his.

“Kaidan,” she croaked. “Of course you’d take my orders literally.”

“Shepard?”

“I mean,” she continued, coughing. “You could have wait—waited for me to get out of the hospital ...” she paused considering his state of undress and the bed opposite hers. “But it looks like you’re in, too.”

The door behind him sent a chilling draft up his spine as it opened and a young doctor entered. She halted mid-stride when she saw Kaidan standing by the bed, head tilting with curious consideration. But when her eyes flicked to Amallia’s, wide and bright, the doctor’s jaw fell slack before she spoke.

“I’ll, ah ... I’ll get Dr. Chakwas and Dr. Lawson.”

When she was through the door, Kaidan returned his attention to Amallia and sat on the edge of her bed. Several minutes passed in silence, the steady beeping of her heart monitor returning to its normal, slow tempo. Though he was eager to smother her in all the loving embraces he could think of, Kaidan summoned the gentlest touch he had in him to simply hold her bandaged hand.

“I suppose I should get back into bed before--”

“Mr. Alenko, as much as I would love to stare at you in your underwear, you’re disturbing my patient who, as you can see, is in very serious condition,” Dr. Chakwas barked as the door admitted her and Miranda Lawson.

Miranda laughed her charming chuckle from Dr. Chakwas’ shoulder. “Shepard’s been through far worse, I can assure you, doctor.”

The icy glare Dr. Chakwas gave Miranda could freeze molten lava in the blink of an eye. “Shepard needs every minute of rest she can get,” she demanded. But when she rounded on Amallia, she softened, stern glare easing back to a sad frown. “I’m shocked to see you awake, though I suppose I shouldn’t be.”

“I’m sweating my ass off,” Amallia grunted as she shifted in the bed, but as soon as she moved, a hissing breath sucked through her teeth. “I think I’ll deal with it for now. A couple ribs are still broken.”

“A couple?” Dr. Chakwas squawked. “Try ten of them. You have numerous breaks and fractures across your entire body, your organs are in  _rough_ shape to say the least, and the only thing remaining in good condition are Miranda’s cybernetics.”

Blues flicked between both women, resigned to her position in bed. “Thank you,” she croaked. “Is ... I’m guessing it worked? The Catalyst?”

Miranda looked to him with a questioning quirk of her brow as she scanned Amallia’s vitals and took notes on her data pad. “He didn’t tell you?”

“Didn’t really get a chance before he was ordered back to bed,” Amallia quipped and Kaidan covered his mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

“Well, it seems you  _are_  doing just fine. I’ll send in the others,” Dr. Chakwas huffed as she turned on her heel and strode from the room.

“Don’t mind her, she hasn’t slept much over the last couple weeks,” Miranda noted. “The hospital is, as you can imagine, inundated. But thankfully, operational.”

“The others?” Amallia rasped. “She mentioned others?”

“The crew’s been asking after you every minute since they found out you were in the hospital,” she clarified. “They thought you were dead.”

Kaidan winced, remembering the dreadful ceremony they’d performed on the Normandy the day after defeating the Reapers, mere hours before they’d found her. “We were going to put your name on the wall. I couldn’t do it,” he paused. “Something … I don’t know, something told me it wasn’t right.”

He hoped the horse choke that came from her was a laugh, for her smile was all too brief. “Can’t blame you. I thought the Citadel blew up.”

“It ... sort of did,” Miranda hesitated, glancing once more at Kaidan. “Certain wards were more damaged than others. And the Presidium was a disaster. That’s where you were found.”

Amallia’s nervous stare traded between the two of them once more, not a single word spoken.

“Shepard, what _do_ you remember?” he asked, a nervous crack in his voice.

Her eyes glazed over, and what he could see of her face fell flat, as though she were millions of miles away. “Hardly anything,” she muttered. “After I opened the arms of the Citadel …” she paused, tears welling in dried eyes. “There was a … choice I had to make.”

Kaidan frowned, imagining the pain and suffering she must have experienced. Anderson’s death had been the hardest, if not Cortez’s or Thane’s. At least their sacrifice had not been in vain.

“What choice?” Miranda urged.

Another long moment passed before Amallia spoke. “I had to—”

“Shepard!”

The door to their room whisked open to make way for two massive Krogans chased by Liara.

“Miranda, I’m so sorry, I tried to tell them only one at a time—”

“It’s alright, Dr. T’soni,” Miranda excused as she tucked her data pad under her arm. “My examination is complete. She can have as many visitors as she wants. But,” she paused, turning to the Asari and whispering words Kaidan could not hear from his bed.

“Shepard!” Wrex shouted again as he slammed his fist on the nearby table. “I knew a little explosion wouldn’t do you in.”

Grunt chuckled his typical laugh. “Good to see you in one piece.”

If she could grin, she would. But the pain on her face was clear and Liara stepped in, slipping between the two Krogan and shuffling them back from the bed.

“Give her some space,” she insisted. “She’s been through hell.”

Wrex nodded and Grunt _grunted_ again, stepping back without argument. The younger Krogan took a seat on the floor near the foot of her bed and Wrex took up station in the corner near the head of her bed.

“Did you kill a lot of Reapers?” he asked.

Amallia coughed through a short laugh. “I’m pretty sure I killed _all_ of them, Wrex.”

“I killed two hundred fifty-seven,” he boasted.

“Two hundred and sixty-four,” Grunt countered.

Wrex waved him off. “You’re full of shit, I counted yours, too. You got –”

“Shepard!”

The door whipped open again to admit Garrus who looked as though he’d been at death’s door not a moment earlier. “I came as soon as I heard,” he huffed. “Are you … you look like shit.”

“I feel like shit,” Amallia retorted. “But at least I feel something. Good to see you’re alive.”

Garrus approached the bed and, with a touch far gentler than Kaidan would have anticipated from the Turian, placed a kiss so soft on her bandaged head. Visible tears streamed down his face as he backed away, taking up a stance near Wrex who clapped him on the shoulder.

Soon, the room was full, Joke and EDI arriving within minutes of Garrus, followed by Tali and Samantha. Jack swung by for a few minutes, but claimed she hated hospitals and left after she gave Amallia the last present Kaidan imagined would come from the woman; a small stuffed polar bear, white as snow, sat in the crook of Amallia’s arm, resting on its haunches.

Jacob and James joined with Samara and Kasumi in tow, finding space around her bed to stand – or in Kasumi’s case, sit on the floor with Grunt. Zaeed and Javik arrived last, crowding in the remaining space near Kaidan and keeping much to themselves. Quiet conversation traded between companions, friends old and new alike bonding over recent events, most content to simply be in the presence of their commander again.

It was well past dark by the time Amallia asked for their forgiveness. “I think the drugs are kicking in again,” she mumbled through a yawn. “I could use some rest.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Samantha soothed. “I’ll bring you some of your things from the Normandy. Seems like you’ll be here a while.”

“Traynor,” Amallia started, and Samantha looked over her shoulder from the door. “Don’t forget Ash’s picture. Please.”

Samantha nodded with a firm set to her jaw, then shuffled through the door. One by one, each of their companions departed, Liara lingering after Garrus gave Amallia another kiss on the head. Alone but for himself, the two women talked in voices he barely heard.

“Miranda said you’ve got quite the story to tell me,” Liara began. “Would you like tell it? When you’re ready, of course.”

Amallia agreed with a curt nod of her head. “I will. Though I don’t remember much.”

Liara shrugged, seeming to anticipate the answer. “We have ways around that.”

“We do,” Amallia replied with a wistful sigh.

Liara turned for the door then, leaving with a, “Goddess watch over you,” trailing in her wake.

Kaidan wasted not one second before he was out of bed and by her side, eager to speak with her once more before she succumbed to her sedatives. “How are you doing?”

“Fine, all things considered,” she jested. “It’s not so bad. But, I can’t wait to take a bath.”

He hummed a sigh through his nose, the thought of hot, cleansing water breaking out goose flesh over his arms. “You know,” he started, “I bet if you talked to Dr. Chakwas, you could convince her to transfer you to your apartment.”

“As long as you can come with me,” she stated. “Hey,” she added, pausing for a yawn. “Did you find your family?”

Near death and Amallia still managed to think about everyone else besides herself. “I did. They’re fine. Dad was a little worse for wear, but they’re good.”

“Can we go there?” she asked, lids heavy and voice thick. “To … Vancouver?”

Kaidan’s heart soared at the thought. “Absolutely. You’ll love it, it’s beautiful. The architecture is amazing and the bay is breathtaking. And my parents will be happy to finally meet you, I’ve—”

He stopped mid-thought when he saw her eyes were closed and her breathing deep, slow. With great care, he withdrew his hand from hers, not sure when she’d slipped her fingers between his. He returned the stuffed polar bear to her side, tucking it in close, and then headed for his bed. It was mere minutes before exhaustion overcame him again, slipping with ease into the darkness of the void beyond and dreaming new dreams of the years to come.


End file.
